Prince William has spoken several times about Prince George’s passion for soccer. (Image: Getty Images)
Prince William had previously instructed his son Prince George to support clubs other than Chelsea, but he has now changed his position. The Blues are preparing to face Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday. It’s been a turbulent season for Chelsea, who are currently in 9th place in the Premier League, trying to regain their silver medal from the season.
Caretaker manager Callum MacFarlane will take charge at Wembley Stadium this season following the departure of two managers, Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior. The west London side go into the game as underdogs against City as they aim to win the coveted trophy for the ninth time in their history.
Supporters at Wembley will be trying to encourage their team to victory, but Prince William has previously advised his eldest son not to root for Chelsea.
In 2019, during an appearance on BBC’s A Very Royal Christmas, he was asked about Prince George’s growing passion for football. “I try not to be too biased. He said he could support anyone other than Chelsea, so of course he will support Chelsea too.”
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Prince William is a keen Aston Villa supporter, as evidenced by his recent jubilant celebration during the club’s 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest at Villa Park. The 43-year-old was visibly elated as Unai Emery’s side secured a place in the Europa League final.
The Prince of Wales has been spotted at a number of Villa matches over the years, including last season’s Champions League quarter-final away to Paris Saint-Germain.
Prince William attended the match along with Prince George, who was keen to embrace Villa, but insisted the 12-year-old is now free to follow any club, marking a change of heart from his previous comments about Chelsea.
“I’m really open to whoever they support,” Prince William told TNT Sports. “I’m a bit biased but they’re also coming to the Villa game so they’ll probably be rooting for Villa. I’ve left the other two at home tonight so we’ll see who they root for.”
Prince William had already softened his stance on Prince George becoming a Chelsea loyalist during Frank Lampard’s first spell in charge in 2020. “The important thing is to find what suits him,” Prince William said on Peter Crouch’s podcast.
Prince William and Prince George have watched several Aston Villa matches together (Image: Getty Images)
“Before, I was a bit worried that he was supporting Chelsea, but now that Frank has come in, I feel the culture at Chelsea is a bit different and I think that’s fine.
“I like the values and ethos of the club. I want them to take care of their players and set a good example for their young fans.”
“When our kids go to a game, we want them to love what they saw, have fun and come back and see their role models act like we all want them to do.”
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Prince William will no doubt have the Europa League final firmly in his diary as Villa prepare to face Freiburg on Wednesday, May 20th. Emery’s side are now one game away from winning their first major trophy since 1996.
The Prince of Wales was seen throwing an uncontrollable punch during Villa’s stunning 4-0 win over Forest, before joining his team in the dressing room to celebrate. “He was in the dressing room with the players and me, and of course he’s very happy,” Villa manager Emery said.
